Medvedev Forest massacre

The Medvedev Forest massacre occurred on 11 September 1941 when the Soviet NKVD massacred 157 political prisoners outside of Oryol (Orel) prison. The massacre came just a few months after the USSR entered World War II as an enemy of Nazi Germny; the massacre was ordered by Joseph Stalin himself, as he wanted to get rid of all of his enemies within Russia so that he could focus on fighting enemies outside of the country.